CHAPTER VI

In the work of the Redemption of man, not only the mercy, but also the justice, of God is displayed.

15. Man therefore was lawfully delivered up, but
mercifully set free. Yet mercy was shown in such
a way that a kind of justice was not lacking even in
his liberation, since, as was most fitting for man’s
recovery, it was part of the mercy of the liberator
to employ justice rather than power against man’s
enemy. For what could man, the slave of sin, fast
bound by the devil, do of himself to recover that
righteousness which he had formerly lost? Therefore he who lacked righteousness had another’s imputed to him, and in this
way: The prince of this
world came and found nothing in the Saviour; and
because he notwithstanding laid hands on the Innocent
280he lost most justly those whom he held captive;
since He who owed nothing to death, lawfully freed
him who was subject to it, both from the debt of
death, and the dominion of the devil, by accepting
the injustice of death; for with what justice could
that be exacted from man a second time? It was man
who owed the debt, it was man who paid it. For if one,
says S. Paul, died for all, then were all dead (2 Cor. v. 14), so that, as One bore the sins of all, the
satisfaction of One is imputed to all. It is not that
one forfeited,9595Forefecit, i.e., offended or transgressed. Forisfactura or forefactum
denoted the crime or offence: and the former word is also used to signify
the penalty of a crime. Forisfactus is the criminal himself. Servus forisfactus is a free man who
has been reduced to slavery as a punishment for
crime (Legibus Athelstan. Reg. c. 3). From this word is the French forfaire, forfait; and the English forfeit, forfeiture. It will be seen that the word is a legal term adopted into the language
of theology. The earliest instance of its use is apparently in the Glossa of Isidore. See Du Cange’s Glossary s.v. Forisfacere. Forcellini’s ed. of Facciolati
does not give the word.—[E.] another satisfied; the Head and body
is one, viz., Christ. The Head, therefore, satisfied for
the members, Christ for His children, since, according
to the Gospel of Paul, by which Peter’s9696i.e., Abaelard. falsehood is
refuted, He who died for us, quickened us together with
Himself, forgiving us all our trespasses, blotting out the
handwriting of ordinances that was against us, and took
it out of the way, nailing it to His cross, having spoiled
principalities and powers (Col. ii. 13, 14).

16. May I be found amongst those spoils of which
the opposing powers were deprived, and be handed
over into the possession of my Lord. If Laban pursue
the and reproach me for having left him by stealth,
281he shall be told that I came to him by stealth, and
therefore so left him. The secret power of sin subjected me, the hidden plan of righteousness freed
me from him; or I will reply, that if I was sold for
nothing shall I not be freely redeemed? If Asshur
has reproached me without cause, he has no right to
demand the cause of my escape. But if he says,
“Your father sold you into captivity,” I will reply,
“But my Brother redeemed me.” Why should not
righteousness come to me from another when guilt
came upon me from another? One made me a
sinner, the other justifies me from sin; the one by
generation, the other by His blood. Shall there be
sin in the seed of the sinner and not righteousness in
the blood of Christ? But he will say,
“Let righteousness be whose it may, it is none of yours.” Be it so.
But let guilt also be whose it may, it is none of mine.
Shall the righteousness of the righteous be upon him, and
the wickedness of the wicked not be upon him?
It is not fitting for the son to bear the iniquity of the father,
and yet to have no share in the righteousness of his
brother. But now by man came death, by Man also
came life. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ
shall all be made alive (1 Cor. xv. 21, 22). I attain to
une and to the other in the same way: to the one by
the flesh, to the other by faith. And if from the one
I was infected with concupiscence from my birth, by
Christ spiritual grace was infused into me. What
more does this hired advocate bring against me?
If he urges generation, I oppose regeneration; and
add that the former is but carnal, while the latter is
spiritual. Nor does equity suffer that they fight as
equals, but the higher nature is the more efficacious
282cause, and therefore the spirit must necessarily overcome the flesh. In other words, the second birth is
so much the more beneficial as the first was baneful.
The offence, indeed, came to me, but so did grace;
and not as the offence so also is the free gift; for the
judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification
(Rom. v. 16). From
the first man flowed down the offence, from the
highest heaven came down the free gift: both from
our father, one from our first father, the other from
the Supreme Father. My earthly birth destroys me,
and does not my heavenly much more save me I?
And I am not afraid of being rejected by the Father
of lights when I have been rescued in this way from
the power of darkness, and justified through His
grace by the blood of His Son: It is God that justifieth, who is he that condemneth?
He who had mercy on the sinner will not condemn the righteous; I mean
that I am righteous, but it is in His righteousness, for
Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one
that believeth (Rom. x. 4). In short,
He was made our righteousness by God the Father (1 Cor. i. 30).
Is not that righteousness mine which was made for me? If
my guilt was inherited, why should not my righteousness be accorded to me? And, truly, what is given
me is safer than what was born in me. For this,
indeed, has whereof to glory, but not before God;
but that, since it is effectual to my salvation, has
nothing whereof to glory save in the Lord. For if I
be righteous, says Job, yet will I not lift up my head
(Job x. 15), lest I receive the answer: What hast thou
that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it,
why dost thou glory as if thou hadst not received it?
(1 Cor. iv. 7).

95Forefecit, i.e., offended or transgressed. Forisfactura or forefactum
denoted the crime or offence: and the former word is also used to signify
the penalty of a crime. Forisfactus is the criminal himself. Servus forisfactus is a free man who
has been reduced to slavery as a punishment for
crime (Legibus Athelstan. Reg. c. 3). From this word is the French forfaire, forfait; and the English forfeit, forfeiture. It will be seen that the word is a legal term adopted into the language
of theology. The earliest instance of its use is apparently in the Glossa of Isidore. See Du Cange’s Glossary s.v. Forisfacere. Forcellini’s ed. of Facciolati
does not give the word.—[E.]